The Royal British Legion is the UK's largest and foremost Armed Forces charity.   Everyone currently serving, and all those who have ever served, and their families, may be eligible for our support. We aim to be the number one provider of welfare, comradeship, representation and Remembrance for the Armed Forces Community. Welfare is at the heart of everything the Legion does.

Blakedown and Hagley is a small local branch covering two villages in North Worcestershire.  Our Branch Standard identifies the Branch as winners of the Jellicoe Cup in 2013, as well as taking part in GP90, the Royal British Legion Pilgrimage to France and Belgium in 2018.

CoVid has impacted on our Branch social events, and whilst we are very keen to resume activities in the village, we are reluctant to speculate with limited funds, as we are conscious that our primary duties are to assist the community with Remembrance and support the Poppy Appeal.     We would appreciate any support that we can get from our community and would welcome your contact.

For the Poppy Appeal, we run a Pop Up Poppy Stall in Worcester Road, Hagley (courtesy of Lex, Allen, Grove) during Remembrancetide and we are always looking to supplement our band of helpers.   The full range of official Poppy memorabilia are available for our visitors, hopefully in return for a donation.   We normally raise about £10,000 between the two villages each year, thanks to the generosity of our community.   There are poppy trays and collecting tins distributed to shops, offices and hospitality outlets across our two villages, for those unable to visit our stall.

We normally run an Act of Remembrance at the Churchill War Memorial at 11.00am on Armistice Day each year and at Hagley War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday.   The Sunday service is often accompanied by a parade (by courtesy of Hagley Parish Council) and a church service - details are published in the Hagley Village News.   We welcome the Parish Council, Scouts, Guides and Rotary Club to these events but would be happy to extend that invitation to any other individuals and organisations in the district.

We also hold additional Acts of Remembrance on an ad hoc basis as appropriate on major anniversaries as deemed appropriate, and will always be more than happy to support any ex-servicemen and their families in any way we can.    We have a Branch Community Support team, which acts as a signpost to RBL Welfare Services, and we will gladly support our community by taking part in Village Events where we can.

Membership of The Royal British Legion is open to everyone. You do not need to have served in the military. The Branch is looking for new Members to enable it to remain viable and continue the work it does in raising funds for The Poppy Appeal. The annual subscription fee includes a contribution of £2 per annum to Branch Funds on top of your RBL Membership Subscription, and you can apply online on the RBL Website.  To join Blakedown and Hagley, please quote the reference "BR3350" where it asks you for Branch Membership, and we will be in touch with you as soon as your details appear on our list.

If you wish to contact us or to report any inaccuracies or omissions on this site, please email our website editor, Jonathan Plant (jon.plant@outlook.com)

The Royal British Legion celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 2021, and in 2022 we celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hagley War Memorial.   Our Branch will reach its own centenary in 2029, and there is a plaque in the bar of the Old House at Home in Blakedown commemorating our formation.